The body includes various passageways such as arteries, other blood vessels, and other body lumens. These passageways sometimes become occluded or weakened. For example, the passageways can be occluded by a tumor, restricted by plaque, or weakened by an aneurysm. When this occurs, the passageway can be reopened or reinforced, or even replaced, with a medical endoprosthesis. An endoprosthesis is typically a tubular member that is placed in a lumen in the body. Examples of endoprostheses include stents, stent-grafts, and covered stents.
An endoprosthesis can be delivered inside the body by a catheter that supports the endoprosthesis in a compacted or reduced-size form as the endoprosthesis is transported to a desired site. Upon reaching the site, the endoprosthesis is expanded, for example, so that it can contact the walls of the lumen.
When the endoprosthesis is advanced through the body, its progress can be monitored, e.g., tracked, so that the endoprosthesis can be delivered properly to a target site. After the endoprosthesis is delivered to the target site, the endoprosthesis can be monitored to determine whether it has been placed properly and/or is functioning properly. Methods of tracking and monitoring a medical device include X-ray fluoroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).